My Thanksgiving wish for you is to believe in yourself

Your "Belief" in yourself is the first key to
your success. You have to "Believe" it before
you will ever see it.

Stephan Bourget

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As she stood in front of her 5th grade class
on the very first day of school, she told the
children an untruth. Like most teachers, she
looked at her students and said that she loved
them all the same.

However, that was impossible, because there in
the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little
boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before
and noticed that he did not play well with the
other children, that his clothes were messy and
that he constantly needed a bath.

In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got
to the point where Mrs.Thompson would actually
take delight in marking his papers with a broad
red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big
"F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she
was required to review each child's PAST
records and she put Teddy's off until last.

However, when she reviewed his file, she was
in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, Teddy is
a bright child with a ready laugh. He does
his work neatly and has good manners, he is
a joy to be around.

His second grade teacher wrote, Teddy is an
excellent student, well liked by his class
mates, but he is troubled because his mother
has a terminal illness and life at home must
be a struggle.

His third grade teacher wrote, His mother's
death has been hard on him. He tries to do his
best, but his father doesn't show much interest,
and his home life will soon affect him if some
steps aren't taken.

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, Teddy is
withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in
school. He doesn't have many friends and he
sometimes sleeps in class.

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and
she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse
when her students brought her Christmas presents
wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper,
except for Teddy's.

His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy
brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the
middle of the other presents. Some of the
children started to laugh when she found a
rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones
missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter
full of perfume.

But she stifled the children's laughter when
she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was,
putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume
on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just
long enough to say, Mrs. Thompson, today you
smelled just like my Mom used to.

After the children left, she cried for at least
an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching
reading, writing and arithmetic.

Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy.
As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come
alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster
he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of
the smartest children in the class and, despite
her lie that she would love all the children the
same, Teddy became one of her teacher's pets.

A year later, she found a note under her door,
from Teddy, telling her that she was the best
teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note
from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished
high school, third in his class, and she was
still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter,
saying that while things had been tough at times,
he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and
would soon graduate from college with the highest
of honors.

He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the
best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his
whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another
letter came. This time he explained that after
he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go
a little further. The letter explained that she
was still the best and favorite teacher he ever
had.

But now his name was a little longer . . .The
letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there
was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said
he had met this girl and was going to be married.

He explained that his father had died a couple
of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs.
Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in
the place that was usually reserved for the
mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what?

She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing.

Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the
perfume that Teddy remembered his mother
wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard
whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, Thank
you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me.

Thank you so much for making me feel important
and showing me that I could make a difference.

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered
back. She said, Teddy, you have it all wrong.

You were the one who taught me that I could make
a difference.

I didn't know how to teach until I met you.

For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the
Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has
the Stoddard Cancer Wing.
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